Granite Falls hasn't had much luck against Sultan recently, but that could start to change on Saturday. The Tigers will welcome the Turks at 1:00 p.m. Sultan took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Granite Falls, who comes in off a win.
Granite Falls' pitching crew heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Thursday. They put the hurt on Darrington with a sharp 10-0 win. Considering the Tigers' hitters had been struggling lately, the high-scoring outing was a much-needed turnaround.
Drake Smith
Drake Smith made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, keeping things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out nine over five innings pitched. He also allowed no hits, which is notable because Granite Falls is 2-1 when he allows at most one hit, but 5-7 otherwise. Smith was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two runs, two doubles, and two RBI. Those RBI marked the first that he has brought in this season.
In other batting news, William Boyd was incredible, going a perfect 4-for-4 with two stolen bases, three RBI, and two runs. Another player making a difference was Carson Brooks, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Granite Falls hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Darrington struck out eight times.
Meanwhile, after soaring to 13 runs the game before, Sultan was a bit more limited in their game on Wednesday. They came up short against King's, falling 12-1. The Turks have struggled against the Knights recently, as the game was their third consecutive lost meeting.
Sultan's defeat dropped their record down to 4-9. As for Granite Falls, their victory ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 7-8.
Granite Falls came out on top in a nail-biter against Sultan when the teams last played back in April of 2024, sneaking past 9-7. Will the Tigers repeat their success, or do the Turks have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
